U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced that Texarkana College and Texas A&M University - Texarkana will receive a total of $4,093,338 in federal grants to respond to the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

Actual funding comes from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, that comes from the CARES Act. At least fifty percent of each grant must go towards providing students with emergency financial aid grants to help cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. The CARES Act allows each institution the discretion of how assistance will be awarded to students.

Senator Cornyn had the following to share:

No Texan should have to give up their education because of the economic effects of the coronavirus. In addition to allowing students to defer their federal student loan payments for six months, the CARES Act provides targeted funding to Texas institutions to help students continue their education - even if that means taking classes online.

In all, Texas institutions of higher education were awarded more than $1 billion of the $14 billion available. In Texarkana, Texas, it breaks down like the following: